For Assignment our second assignment in MIS 1, our task now is to identify the risks associated with business and IS/IT change based on the interview we had conducted on the visited company or organization.The first assignment was "barely unsuccessful" if I was to describe. I had finished the assignment and that is a positive side saying I had done it. Yes it was finished but we had done it the wrong way. :'c AS what I've mentioned on my post in assignment 1 most of us were not aware of our own responsibilities. But this time I guess I’ve improved a little, because I had done it ahead of time. Weeh.Suppose to be I have to adopt EMCOR for this assignment but I haven’t included it on my approval. The two approved companies for this assignment are Hubport Interactive and GH Office Depot. Hubport was my first priority suppose to be but unfortunately, they didn’t call us for a scheduled interview. But luckily I have GH as a reserve. Hehe

GH Office DepotGH Office Depot is a super-market type of stationary store located at Monteverde Ave. Davao City. GH is a dealer of different office and school supplies. As I’ve mentioned on my first assignment, GH has their best IS/IT practices such as having their own system, website security cameras, biometrics scanner and other hardware they have.“The company started as small office stationery dealer in 1967. By the grace of God and through its continuous quest for quality and better products to serve its clientele. It has gained the confidence and patronage of its clients. The clientele expanded to what it is today, a big solid majority share in the market. The company opened its door to the general public in 1995 by opening up a modest yet modern retail outfit. A supermarket-type of stationery store. The concept was overwhelming accepted by the general public.The retail outlet and network continue to grow and expand. Today, it is a big business outfit housed in a modern complex with all the convenient facilities and amenities.The GH OFFICE DEPOT carries in its inventory more than 12,000 items of office items to serve its clients. The company keeps on updating and upgrading its list of items to cope up with the current trend in office management. And to serve its clients with the latest and most up-to-date office supplies and equipments.”http://www.ghofficedepot.com/about.htm

What is IS/IT?In a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modelling describes the business processes supported by information systems.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology

What IS/IT change?“Information systems and organizations influence one another. Information systems are built by managers to serve the interests of the business firm. At the same time, the organization must be aware of and open to the influences of information systems to benefit from new technologies.The interaction between information technology and organizations is complex and is influenced by many mediating factors, including the organization’s structure, business processes, politics, culture, surrounding environment, and management decisions. You will need to understand how information systems can change social and work life in your firm. You will not be able to design new systems successfully or understand existing systems without understanding your own business organization.”http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf

My Views and Opinion..This is of my own understanding. From the above statement IS and the organization influence each other so if the factors mentioned above change, there is also a change in the organization and this includes some risks. As technology changes then such organization or business must cope up with these changes in order to preserve their businesses. Such changes should also address to the needs and demands of the customer and user in order for the business to be valued by their customers. There is a need for improvement of IS because this is important for a business. As quoted from Mr. Po. “Kung walay IS ambot kung makasurvive mi.” Hehe A company definitely needs IT and IS in order to survive.

In our interview with Mr. Hector Po who is the IT Supervisor of GH Office Depot he stated that they to have encountered technological changes and this drove them to improve their business. One risk involved of encountering changes in an organization in my own perspective as what I have mentioned above is coping up with such change. Another is systems change. The system would somehow be affected with such change so there would be a risk having difficulties in managing systems and data. Company system is really such a big help for a business because this will help them lessen some work loads. According to Mr. Po whenever they have to change their system they first ask and study the users need from feedbacks. Then they will consult to the department head and managers as to what should be the possible action for such change. Then the work of IT analyst comes as to what changes he will be making in the system. This is what they do so they could cope up with changes and avoid problems in the future.

I guess I have relayed everything we had on our interview and I hope I have done what is tasked for this assignment. hmp That's all. Thank you. Hehe

Some snap shots of our interview!![b]

Link for this post on my blog (w/ pics nah.hEhe):http://xiibee.blogspot.com/2009/07/mis-1-assignment-2-risk-in-business.html

Last edited by Gabrielle Deseo on Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:02 pm; edited 2 times in total

Our second assignment in MIS 1, is to identify the risks associated with business and IS/IT change based on the interview we had conducted on the visited company or organization.A management information system (MIS) ,is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solve business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization.[1] Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and Executive information systems.

It has been describe as, "MIS 'lives' in the space that intersects technology and business. MIS combines tech with business to get people the information they need to do their jobs better/faster/smarter. Information is the lifeblood of all organizations - now more than ever. MIS professionals work as systems analysts, project managers, systems administrators, etc., communicating directly with staff and management across the organization."

At the start, in businesses and other organizations, internal reporting was made manually and only periodically, as a by-product of the accounting system and with some additional statistics, and gave limited and delayed information on management performance.

In their infancy, business computers were used for the practical business of computing the payroll and keeping track of accounts payable and accounts receivable. As applications were developed that provided managers with information about sales, inventories, and other data that would help in managing the enterprise, the term "MIS" arose to describe these kinds of applications. Today, the term is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to): decision support systems, resource and people management applications, project management and database retrieval application.

THE GRAND MEN SENG HOTEL

Grand Men Seng Hotel was built in 1996. Men Seng is a transliteration of the Chinese characters 民生, as seen on our logo. Together, the two characters mean “the livelihood of the people”. We can only guess why the founders chose “livelihood of the people” as the name of their business. It may be because a business generates jobs for the people – a kind of livelihood for the people of Davao City, Philippines, and its vicinities.Old Men Seng Restaurant began its history in 1946 on San Pedro Street as a restaurant with only four tables. As buildings were built towards Anda Street, the founders leased the upper portions of the new buildings for accommodations. Unfortunately, the buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1962.Men Seng Hotel and Restaurant, a new 7 storey building, was erected by 1965 in a different location on San Pedro Street near Legaspi Street. It was one of the very first high rises in Davao City. The hotel and restaurant operation continued, grew and passed on to the next generation.In 1996, instead of renewing the lease for the 7 storey building, the next generation of management built what is now Grand Men Seng Hotel. Many times larger than its previous predecessors, the 70 rooms Grand Men Seng Hotel features a Grand Ballroom that can accommodate 1500 guests, a swimming pool for its guests, and smaller function rooms for business meetings.

Grand Men Seng Hotel still continues to deliver quality and excellent services to our clients while providing a livelihood for the people.

INFORMATION SYSTEM and ASSIGNED PERSONNELS

In a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modelling describes the business processes supported by information systems.

There are various types of information systems, for example: transaction processing systems, decision support systems, knowledge management systems, database management systems, and office information systems. Critical to most information systems are information technologies, which are typically designed to enable humans to perform tasks for which the human brain is not well suited, such as: handling large amounts of information, performing complex calculations, and controlling many simultaneous processes.

Information technologies are a very important and malleable resource available to executives.Many companies have created a position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) that sits on the executive board with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Technical Officer (CTO).The CTO may also serve as CIO, and vice versa. The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), who focuses on information security within an organization, normally reports to the CIO.

Information System Research

Information systems research is generally concerned with the study of the effects of information systems on the behavior of individuals, groups, and organizations.[5][6] Notable publication outlets for information systems research are the journals Management Information Systems Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and Communications of the Association for Information Systems.

Since information systems is an applied field, industry practitioners expect information systems research to generate findings that are immediately applicable in practice. However, that is not always the case. Often information systems researchers explore behavioral issues in much more depth than practitioners would expect them to do. This may render information systems research results difficult to understand, and has led to criticism.[7]

To study an information system itself, rather than its effects, information systems models are used, such as EATPUT.

QUESTION and ANSWER

What are the tools and gadgets you are using right now in order to maintain your system?

-We are using a PC as a workstation and we have our personal laptops.

What is your secret on having a good performance in maintaining your IS system?

-It's just hard work and discipline.

How important are people in IS?

-They are very important because without the people, software and hardware are useless. Peopleware is the most important and crucial part of an Information System.

The Davao City ERS office is part of the worldwide LDS humanitarian operation that aims to help individuals become career self-reliant through employment, education and/or self-employment.

The ERS Center offers four types of services: Trainings to help individuals plan their career, find opportunities and interact with contacts; Resource information in terms of a database on job resources, small business, education and other self reliance resources including interactive meetings with resource persons; Business equipment and facilities like telephone, fax and copy machines for employment-related needs; and placement for applicants and contacts for suppliers who have established linkage with ERS.

The ERS Center is equipped with state-of-the-art communication technology that can facilitate speedy access to information. It's a one-stop shop for career planning and the best part is that the center's services and facilities are for free.

First let me explain the structure of their IS/IT as I observed...

The office have good facilities. Their computers are not that far left behind in terms technology. Their computers are all at least having a Pentium 4 1.x processor, 256 mb RAM, and 80 G hdd. Their network structure is also state of the art. Their computers are connected via wireless network and the computers in their respective offices and the computers that are freely used by the job seekers belong to this network. The way they process their transaction is quiet fast. First of all, they have a website where the job seekers can register for free of course. The registration requires the job seekers to input their credentials and other information needed for job matching. After the registration, the job seeker could gain access to the section where the job offerings are posted by the companies that are also members of the said site. Their office also do the job matching process where their staff matches the members according to their capabilities. The office also offers seminars and other job awareness activities to help them be competitive in their endeavor.

Risks in IT/IS change?:

For me, with regards to the company that we visited, IT change is a bad idea. Before considering IT change it would be a smart way to first identify it's present situation and if IT change will benefit the company. And to better study about this aspect, it's a good idea to assign a committee for this agenda that will have a purpose to:

* Better align IT services to business requirements * Increase visibility and communication of Changes to both business and service-support staff * Improve risk assessment * Reduce adverse impact of Changes on the quality of services and on Service Level Agreements * Better assess the cost of proposed Changes before they are incurred * Make fewer Changes that must be backed-out, along with an increased ability to do this more easily when necessary * Improve Problem and Availability Management through the use of valuable management information relating to changes accumulated through the Change Management process * Increase productivity of users - through less disruption and higher-quality services * Increase productivity of key personnel through less need for diversion from planned duties to implement urgent changes or back-out erroneous Changes * Create a greater ability to accommodate a large volume of Changes * Enhance the business perception of IT through an improved quality of service and a professional approach * Foster and facilitate a high level of communication amongst all IT departments * Contribute to the successful implementation of configuration management within IT * Establish change process accountability * Enforce best practice change management controls

With this, change in the IT structure will definitely be for the good of the company. These precautions and steps must be clearly understood and implemented because their are a lot of risk that is associated in terms in IT change. In the company that we visited, their IT structure is already providing them with the necessary benefits which greatly increased their capabilities in terms of costumer satisfaction and service. If they would insist in changing their IT structure these negative effects could be triggered.

*If the company will upgrade their hardware. These new devices may be sophisticated and thus would require the operators to learn new skills. And if any malfunction pertaining with these devices would occur, the company would be forced to hire other knowledgeable persons to fix the problem. And this would mean more expenses for the company.

*Because the technology will be new to the persons using it. The company will also be in a deciding problem where they will choose from hiring new capable employees or provide training for their old employees. But as I see it, in either option, it will mean further expenses.

*The company will also suffer from technology addiction if IT change is not properly managed. Addiction in a sense where the company will upgrade their hardware not because they need to but because they are amazed of the new technologies that are available.

But then again these risks in IT change are overwhelmed by its positive results if properly planned. These are some of IT change positive results.

Speed and Ease of Communication

Depending on your age, you might not even remember a time when you’d have to wait a few days in order to see documents or contracts. The fax machine made instant perusal of documents possible, but why waste the paper? Now a few clicks of a mouse and you can instantly share documents with a hundred people all over the world.

More “Stolen” Time

The desk of the average employee likely contains a playground of things to do other than work. The Internet is right there and his desk drawers contain an MP3 player, a cell phone and perhaps even a portable video game system. Studies about how much time employees spend not working while on the clock are surprising to many. Some studies say that employees are doing other things, such as surfing the net, for up to 4 hours a day. This is one of the downsides of small business and information technology. The internet is the most accessible temptation for many employees. Instituting rules about only using the internet for business related purposes don’t usually have a lot of impact. Open work spaces, where everyone can see what everyone else is doing is more effective, but such office arrangements are not the best option for every business.

More Opportunities to Work from Home

Thanks to information technology, many more people have the opportunity to telecommute than ever before. Telecommuting is a perk that many employees love, and if you can offer this option you may be able to lure some talented employees to your business without necessarily having to match their current salary. Super high speed internet connections and other business technologies are what allow many employees the opportunity to work from home. It’s hard to say what changes will come to small business and information technology with the next wave of technology changes, but one thing is for sure. Change is coming.

Behind the NCCC's success as one of the leading company in the country. We can't deny that it has a must effective Management Information System, when it comes to business efficiency and services.Now, let me share to you some important facts and details I'd gather from the interview we had conduct last July 4,2009 (Saturday) among with my co-IT students to Mr. Hervin Miklat, the NCCC- Hardware Security Supervisor.

Regarding with the question, What do you think are the risks associated with business and IT/IS change?. The following are some of the important discussions and explanations of Mr. Hervin Miklat.

According to Sir Hervin:“In everything we do and to pursue our goals, the case is not actually a risks but a challenge in our management”.

In defend, Sir Hervin sight an specific examples of situations.Example 1: Why our company has an Merchandise Management System (MMS)?. At the start, NCCC only issue a manual receipt ti the customers. Now, pertaining to a situation that there are two competitors with the same sales and same price of products. Now, if am the customer, of course i must prefer to choose the one with fast accommodation of services compared to the other.

Risk Involve: In that situation, the management will plan for the suitable system that can be applicable for the business proficiency.

Example 2: OS of the Management. Comparing to the 2000 Os and 2008 OS application, of course the 2008 OS is much better to apply that the 2000 OS, because it's more advance, efficient and have many new features than the 2000 OS.

Risk Involve: If the Management may not adopt the 2008 OS, it may lead to a possible new features that the Management will not make. If this is the case, the competency of the NCCC may lessen compared to it's other business competitors.

Example 3: Firewall The situation is comparing the old to the latest firewall. A firewall have an Unified Technology System (UTM).

Risk Involve: If the company will decide to change the UTM?The first thing that the management should priorities is to upgrade their systems information because if not, it may cause restrictions to the system's security.

NOTE:“In every IT change there is a risk involve”.

With these examples, Sir Hervin added that before any risks and decisions to pursue the management should make first a business case study and analysis to determine the most profitable ways and steps in business plans and changes.

Last edited by mayraflordurango on Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:17 pm; edited 2 times in total

Based on the organization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IT/IS change?

First thing first, the organization or company that I visited was the DAVAO LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY. And it is part of Aboitiz Group of Companies under Aboitiz Power Corporation (APC).

To start, I will just give you a little background about Davao Light and Power Company. Davao Light and Power Company is the third largest privately-owned electric utility in the Philippines. Davao Light It holds the franchise for distributing electric power to Davao City, the largest city in the world in terms of land area, as well as Panabo City and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte.

Davao Light and Power Company started their Information System way back 1978. It was just called the Billing Department where it focuses on Billing. They were just using NCR Tower back then as there system. Their department way back was called EDP or Electronics Data Processing. EDP or EDP-Billing was breakdown into 4 sections which is Programmers section, the Operations section, the Data Controller section, and lastly the Key Punchers section. This was the IS department of Davao Light and Power Company way back 1978.

EDP-Billing - Programmers, Operations, Data Controller, Key Punchers

Later on, the EDP was modified by Davao Light and breakdown 2 sections to make it only 2 sections which is, the Systems section, and the Operations section. To graph it, it will look like this:

EDP - Systems, Operations

Way back before Davao Light and Power Company focus only in the Billing process which made some problems on the company’s part. During in paying customer bills it will take years before the transaction be finish due to the system. Its like 1 system for the cashier, and another system for the printing of receipts something like that, and that was the biggest problem. That’s why Davao Light and Power Company find ways to make their Information System better. As customer is on the rise their system also needs more upgrades or modifications. Davao Light and Power Company simulated a system to make the billing transaction simple and easy. They tried different methods. After they resolved the problem by simulating a new system, they tried it on the accounting department. And when the problem was solved they already applied it. In the year 1992 Davao Light and Power Company applied their first Accounting System.

From the year 1983-1994 Davao Light and Power Company changed their system with the use of IBM 4331/4361 Processor.

By the year 1994 they changed there department into ISD which stands for Information System Department, it has 2 sections which is, the Operations section, and Systems section. The Operations section which is handling the Billing/Collections part while the Systems section was in charge for the new developments.

In the year 1995 they changed there system from using mainframe to Clipper. They changed to Clipper because it has more memory capacity than the mainframe and a little bit faster than the mainframe. And also they added one section for the ISD department which is the Training section, which in charge of training staff and other incoming employees so they will be competitive in work.

By the year 1996 they also added another section for ISD making it into four sections. The new section was named into Hardware. The reason why they added hardware in ISD because they are finding ways to have a good software then also they find ways to have a good hardware. Hardware and software are partners. And we all know that now a day, these types of things are very important in a system because a company like Davao Light you really need have a very strong hardware to make systems more at its best performance.

In the year 2003 they also focuses on the Engineering department due to they forgot also how important these are so they changed the system into ISD/EID or Information System/Engineering Information Department.

From 2005 up to present, the system was changed into ISG or Information Services Group. In this system they changed from Clipper to Oracle. For now Oracle is the most powerful system to date. The Oracle’s features are faster than the Clipper and have a very high storage capacity. And Clipper is not robust than Oracle.

So to summaries it all, the Davao Light is finding ways to make their system simpler. As what have they said, the simpler the better. So from mainframe, to Clipper, and now the system that is still in use is the Oracle. As of now Davao Light has programs to make their systems easier. Some of these programs are Talent Management Program which is focusing on training employees to have the same level of knowledge about the company. For example if John is sick and there is a problem to be fixed then Paul is there for him. Or shall we even if they don’t have other employees they can get from the training employees in the program to assist when needed. Those are just some of there program that aim to improve there system. And also Davao Light is now using Biometrics as keeping track of employees.

For the question about the risks associated with business and IT/IS change?

In every business they are also changes that are happening. And when changes are happening they are also risks associated in these changes. As technology evolves risks also evolves. The main objective to do is how to contain these risks. One thing about changing system is that is makes the system more durable in the sense, when we change we also learn new things. So in order to have a good system we really need to change from time to time in order to keep on track. That’s why they change there system in order to reduce problems in order to have a better system. And lastly, systems should always be compatible with the process not the other way around.

visit my blog http://franzcie.blogspot.com/

Last edited by Franz Cie B. Suico on Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:39 pm; edited 2 times in total

Since globe telecom decline us as we visit to their company to conduct some interview, we decided to go to LDS (Latter Day Saint Employment Resource Services) to have an interview with regards to our second assignment which is to identify the risk associated with IT/IS change in a certain organization.

Nowadays, the use of technology is fast as easy. The common work environment today is totallydependent on computers. All our work related applications are now completely automated, that is what the IT sector influenced us. IT professionals are people involved in essential management of sensitive data. In such ways, IT influenced the industry-level of the business as well as ruled the world in many aspects. With IT, some of the systems help those organizations to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The use of technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker. Computerized, IT-based business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity and greater profitability. Because of the IT industry, people from diverse cultures are able to personally communicate and exchange valuable ideas. This has greatly reduced prejudice and thus increased sensitivity. Information Technology made some influences with regards to business aspects. Specialist in this field like programmers, analyzers and developers, come up to an application that improve business processes simultaneously. For larger operations, IT provides number of low-costbusiness options to tap higher productivity and a special category for the larger operations as well. Many businessmen have enabled updates in terms of the technology they are using to increase productivity and identify a market niche that would never have been possible without the connectivity. People do not only connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties. With the use of the so-called technologies in a certain organization, business transactions are automated and thus require little or no human intervention after all. With that, job levels in the workplace have minimized, repetitions of task are eliminated and there would be no loss due to human error. The development of information technology will surely help each organization to achieve their certain goals and become globally competitive.

As much as IT is concerned, there comes the Information System, which is then designed to help certain organizations to have system of people, data records, activities that is processed and some organization’s manual and automated processes. Through Information System and Technologies, an organization utilizes flexible, and efficient data solutions to gain immediate access to critical tracking, management, and systematic information modified to their industry-specific needs.

Company Visited: LDS Employment Resource Service

The LDS Employment Resource Service (ERS) is non-profit service supported by The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been in existence for over (10) years now in the Philippines. Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Thousands of job seekers and hundreds of companies have benefited from free services of the ERS worldwide. Their objective is to help people economically self-reliant through employment, education and self-employment. We had an interview with Mr. Philip Tan, Area Manager for Employment in LDS. He stated some advantage and disadvantage of Information System in their company. One of these advantage is that with IS, it is useful for them to serve their clients since they have computerized systems for financial track keeping expenses and real time recording of expenses. Moreover, the disadvantage he states is that when they are so IT/IS dependent, the time the Internet or the systems becomes down all those files saved will vanish if there would be no backup initiated.

LDS offers free services to those employees and job seekers as well. For employees, they do have free advertisements of manpower requirements, free access to their website and free use of the facility to conduct interviews or recruitment events such as job fairs. For job seekers they have business center that they can access facilities such as computers and the Internet. They also have training and resource center that will help clients build their business ideas and resources. The center maintained a computerized system of applicants and employers. This system allows the center to generate a list of qualified applicants for a given job vacancy. They use excel and database software to store some data.

Mr. Tan also states the best IT practices their company has. They make use of the technology to lessened men hours to produce reports. They use people soft in accounting purposes. They also try not to use company cards, which is connected in their accounting system. They do also have localized network that is beneficial on their part since they can access some data through file sharing over a shared network.

What are those risks in IT/IS change?

According to Mr. Tan, the risks that they will encounter when IT/IS change is that they will lose the data stored and with that they cannot keep in touch with the client. Their company IT structure already provides them with necessary benefits, with changes there would be negative and positive impact on their part. He also said that if there is a change in their information system, it also mean that they have to find more skilled persons to operate the new technology the company will had. If there were a need to improve the facilities they had, then it would mean more expenses for the company. On the positive side of view, having the IT/IS change will give best results when it is properly planned and organized. Having great IT/IS in the organization, it simply means that their work would be done simpler and not time consuming.

Last edited by vanessa may caneda on Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:41 am; edited 1 time in total

Profile: "NCCC is all about people: Their associates, customers, business partners and community. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 they continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people.They strive to offer Service from the Heart first of all to their associates.They also maintain solid relationships with their business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise.They are proud of journey and we continue to pay tribute to o founders and history by living up to core values of humility, caring, hard work, excellence and fun. They live for their vision to be A Leader Who Cares. "

Last July 4,2009, Saturday, we conducted an interview regarding the company of our choice. We interviewed Mr. Hervin Miklat, the Supervisor of HNS( HARDWARE NETWORKING SOFTWARE) group and asked questions about our assignment. We had our interview in NCCC food court. Maybe, it' considered informal but he did answer the questions we asked. These are the things that he shared during the interview.

IT BEST PRACTICES:

+ PROPER DOCUMENTATION – in every system to be made, there would be probable procedures done with corresponding appropriate records. Used to reduce or eliminate incidents and major consequences, such as injury, loss of life, property damage, environmental harm, and business interruption.

Ex. --operating POS (Point of Sale: A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is a computerized replacement for a cash register.) --before the usage of POS by the end-users, there will be standard using operation done to ensure complete details and accurate informations --in every decision made concerning on implementing the switching of systems from old to new, there would be a proposal for a “business case” and analysis which requires also proper documentation of files. --avoiding malpractice in recording issues(When the company provides extremely poor/good products or service.) in the company through proper documentation.

Business Hierarchy of NCCC Group

Functions:

==ICT==The Information and Communications Technology DepartmentThe ICT Department aims to be interactive so that business pressures for change can inform, and be informed, by technology developments.

==ICT DIRECTOR==The role requires the development of appropriate communication arrangements with key stakeholders both internal and external.

==APPLICATION GROUP==Lead by a managerIn charged with Systems Development, Applications development & support, Lead programming and database administration

==OPERATIONS GROUP== Lead by a supervisorAssigned in MMS (Merchandise Management System ) : is an automated information system to keep track of the inventory in a warehouse or store. Usually the merchandise can be grouped into product lines. Thus, the MMS shows the exact number of products a business has in stock at any particular time.an active role in the benchmarking, cost benefit and risk analyses and definition of service needs.

Ex.

++ Two stores (A and B) with the same products and costs. The only difference is that A has faster way of service particularly the accurate scanning of the product bought by the costumer and the proper receipt to be given while B has only indefinite way of issuing the receipt . Where would the customer prefer to buy the things he needs? Well, probably in A, because of it’s efficiency and speed. It would focus their management on the terms of service provided by B.++ Another example would be improving internal services and reducing costs of a certain product to ensure the growth of sales

==The Supervisor emphasized that the risks should be addressed as “business challenge”, be competitive with respect to the business operation. Each system should be managed in a way that each section on each department should be competitive in the market.

Examples:++due to the development and IS/IT changes NCCC is forced (or leaved with no other choice) to upgrade to latest and the more secured system.

++ BEFORE AFTER

UPGRADED TO Firewall ---------------------------- UTM Device

Definitions: ==Firewall - Any of a number of security schemes that prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to a computer network or that monitor transfers of information to and from the network. ==UTM Device - Unified Threat Management, a design concept, epitomized by a single computer device, usually referred to as a UTM appliance: used to provide firewall, spam filtering, gateway antivirus protection, intrusion detection or prevention

The risks not prior to the change of IT: ==they are leaved without no choice because if they would stay at firewall, their system may collapse and the data might be manipulated. Because the firewall they used to make use of has its different stages developed around 2000, there is no anti-virus scanner propose to the network, compared to UTM device that has the higher capability of preventing collapse of data.

The Risks prior to the change of IT: ==because of the “upgrade decision” of firewall the group in charged in the processing of data must make a “business case” within the process, technical training and compatibility issues. These would analyze the business case conducted and would create risks as what is said.

++ Operating Systems (from old to new: the names of OS are not specified)

The risks not prior to the change of IT: ==If the Operating System will not be upgraded risks like less security would occur and its vulnerability issues. These vulnerability issues are hone to be used by the hacker to crack system and probably destroy the system. Resulting these to have lesser security. Therefore , they will be forced to upgrade in order to support the IT needs of their system.

The Risks prior to the change of IT: ==the risks in upgrading the Operating System is it would be an another challenge for the group to create another examination of the comparison between an old system to a new system.

=====THEREFORE: in every IS/IT change there is always a risk involve. Every risks carries positive and negative impact on the system used by the company.

FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS:

Due to pressures to proceed with the various aspects of the work expected of the ICT department it should be possible to carry out some of the restructuring in parallel with planning the implementation of the strategy to arrive at acceptable outcomes in the near future. The implementation of the proposed infrastructure is partly dependent on the way in which the new department will deliver the ICT services of NCCC. However, it would not be advisable, in the long term, to implement a strategy without the appropriate resources to support and maintain it. It will also be difficult to delay the implementation of the already declared new infrastructure and standards and risk further costly opening as well as losing credibility among the user population.

GH Office Depot Uncertainties lie at the heart of business decision making in many different kinds of corporations. Should we take on a new product or business line? Will customers like the idea of using WAP-enabled phones to buy our products? Will the regulators allow us to take control of our biggest competitor? Should we distribute our products directly or trust an intermediary? Will ethical, regulatory or political changes blow a hole in one of our critical assumptions? These are some questions we commonly asked in building a business, but are we aware of the risks associated with business and IS/IT changes? We will try to figure things out…The CompanyGH Office Depot started at year 1995 by opening up a modest yet modern retail outfit. A supermarket-type of stationery store. The concept was overwhelming accepted by the general public. The retail outlet and network continue to grow and expand. Today, it is a big business outfit housed in a modern complex with all the convenient facilities and amenities.The GH OFFICE DEPOT carries in its inventory more than 12,000 items of office items to serve its clients. The company keeps on updating and upgrading its list of items to cope up with the current trend in office management. And to serve its clients with the latest and most up-to-date office supplies and equipments.We will first define the meaning of Information Technology (IT) and Information System, first Information Technology is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."[1] IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information. On the other hand, Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes.An information system is a collection of hardware, software, data, people, communications, and procedures that work together to produce quality information. The goal of an information system is to provide users with high-quality information so they can make effective decisions. An information system supports daily, short-term, and long-range activities of users. Some examples of users include store clerks, sales representatives, accountants, supervisors, managers, executives, and customers. The kinds and types of information that users need often change over time. As a system user in a business, you someday may participate in the modification of an existing system or the development of a new system. Thus, it is important that you understand the system development in business. Systems development is the activity of creating a new business system or modifying an existing business system. It refers to all aspects of the process -- from identifying problems to be solved or opportunities to be exploited to the implementation and refinement of the chosen solution. Whatever its scope and objectives, a new information system is an outgrowth of a process of organizational problem solving. A new information system is developed as a solution to some type of problem or set of problems the organization perceives it is facing. The problem may be one where managers and employees realize that the organization is not performing as well as expected, or it may come from the realization that the organization should take advantage of new opportunities to perform more successfully.Changes occur for many reasons, but typically arise out of an operational or business need. For example, growth could require that additional or new infrastructure components be acquired and implemented, or regulatory changes can trigger modifications to operational and/or financial applications such as billing rates and taxes.Information technology strategies are critical to business as they can deliver not only effective business operations, but also competitively differentiated products and services for firms. Yet many business and government enterprises have found their IT organizations to be misaligned with business strategies, or even worse, so dysfunctional that business values are actually destroyed instead of added.The company it self uses different IT/IS practices in which helps the consumers and also its employees to do their tasks in a hassle free way. Technology affects almost every aspect of our lives. Just look around you and you'll see how wired we are. Thanks to the Internet, virtually anything you desire can be delivered to your door in a matter of days. Personal information is more accessible over the Internet as well -- you can look up everything from a long-lost cousin to the registered sex offenders in your neighborhood. You can even trade stocks or file taxes online. Parents don't need to lose sleep waiting for their teenage daughter to come home -- they can just call her cell phone, or send an unobtrusive text, to check up.But as much as our personal lives have changed, the business world has revolutionized almost beyond recognition in the past few decades. Technology -- and we mean the advances in communication and information technology -- has changed the face and the pace of business.During our visit in GH Office Depot we asked many questions, as a conclusion to the data we g, as a conclusion to the data we gathered, here are details. GH Office Depot’s Information Technology supervisor said that he started to work in the company since 2005, he develop the system that they are currently using in 1 year. He also told us that internet helps their company a lot, because the owner of the company is always outside the country and he can always monitor the company through the use of internet.Reflection:In my own opinion, the changes in Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) have a lot of advantages, some of the advantages are that we can access easily to each other through the use of internet, we can develop systems that can ease the employee’s works for example is the point of sales system which helps the cashiers to compute the sales in the easiest way. If there are advantages, I think there are also some disadvantages just like the security of the site or the computer units in that company are infected with viruses. Viruses are big threat in today’s evolution of technology most especially in the field of Information Technology and in developing systems.

New City Commercial CorporationJuly 4, 2009 we had conduct an interview together with my MIS group members the NCCC Hardware Security Supervisor, Mr. Hervin Miclat.

To understand better, Mr. Miclat explained first the information regarding the NCCC Mall. I found out that it composed of hierarchy.

ICT Director

__Application Group__Hardware and Networking services__Operations Group

Every branch seeks help to the Information Communications Technology local level and usually they determine the cause and effect about the events in their company to become more competitive in the market.

This usually talks about the receipt. Management in a certain company do there best to have a good system and to have a lot of customers because customers choose a company which has a better services offered, accurate and fastest way of printing receipt,

Second Example:

Operating System

It mainly refers to security and vulnerability issues. These are hone to hacker to use and then compromised the system. Management challenge to conduct a case study regarding to this issue to protect and secure the system against the hacker.

One best example of this is the Microsoft 2000 and Microsoft 2008. Obviously since 2008 is the latest so the company would prefer to used the Microsoft 2008 because it contains a lot of new features and well-organized. This would also make the company to be more competitive in the market.Other cited example was a server. Pertaining to a certain situation, if a company planning to change a new server, first they should a key study prior to the changes. At that way they can compare which server is appropriate to be used.

Third Example:Firewall

A firewall is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications. It is a device or set of devices configured to permit, deny, encrypt, decrypt, or proxy all (in and out) computer traffic between different security domains based upon a set of rules and other criteria. It has a Unified Technology System (UTM).

If the company decides to change a system, they should analyze the risk if they will change it or not then list the difference between the old and new system to know which is the appropriate.

Remember:

Every IT change there is always a corresponding risk involve. A company especially the NCCC Mall makes every effort to offer Service from the Heart first of all to their associates. They also sustain solid relationships with their business partners to endow with a wide variety of basic and unique merchandise.

Profile:

"NCCC is all about people: Their associates, customers, business partners and community. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 they continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people. They strive to offer Service from the Heart first of all to their associates. They also maintain solid relationships with their business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise. They are proud of journey and we continue to pay tribute to o founders and history by living up to core values of humility, caring, hard work, excellence and fun. They live for their vision to be A Leader Who Cares. "

Based on the orgnaization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?

What do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?

First what is risk? According to Steve Elky, “Risk is the potential harm that may arise from some current process or from some future event. Risk is present in every aspect of our lives and many different disciplines focus on risk as it applies to them”In the IT perspective, risk is the process of understanding and responding to factors that may lead to a failure in the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an information system.The Information System helps ensure that business systems deliver value and that the risks inherent in using technology are managed. Technology enables rapid global business growth and advancement. It is also a major source of business risk. Measuring and improving Information System is a constant challenge. Performance must be measurable to determine that the investment in IT is properly managed, technology risks are appropriately controlled, and a baseline for improvement is established. According to G.K.Choksi & Co.'s, “Risks change. Priorities change. People and processes change. When that happens, your business becomes exposed—unless you have a sustainable approach to risk management.” “Often, what is missing is an effective dialog between the corporate level and the IT function. When this is supported by an investment appraisal and performance monitoring, the organization can have a clearer understanding of the benefits IT brings to the business.”“In addition, business events such as transactions and restructuring will change the overall IT requirement. Clients then need to reappraise management and sourcing decisions.”

The company I’ve visited was Marco Polo Davao. Visitor’s information to their website that avail the services of the company were automatically collected through the standard operation of the internet servers and through the use of "cookies". "Cookies" are small text files a web site can use to recognize repeat users, facilitate the user's ongoing access to and use of the site and allow a site to track usage behavior and compile aggregate data that will allow content improvements and targeted advertising. Cookies are not programs that come onto a system and damage files. Generally, cookies work by assigning a unique number to each customer that has no meaning outside the assigning site. If visitors do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows a customer to deny or accept the cookie feature; however, visitors should note that cookies may be necessary to provide customers with certain features (e.g., customized delivery of information) available on the company web site.

At its core, the Marco Polo Hotels holds the following values and beliefs:Exceptional Service - We understand that the value can be created with every encounter and this is reflected in our superior standard of service.Integrity - We are honest and straightforward in our interactions with our owners, guests, colleagues and the communities in which we operate.Respect - We respect the objectives of our stakeholders, the values of our guests, and the cultural difference in the locations that we operate.Teamwork and Passion - We bring our individual expertise, creativity and passion for our industry as a Marco Polo team member. This sets us apart and is the essence of the Marco Polo Way.Continuous Improvement - We are innovative and utilize best practices to continually improve our management techniques, and the quality of our products and services.

Based on the organization I’ve visited “The Marco Polo Davao”, for me I think this large type of company is less to risks. But then, all organizations have limited resource and risk can never be reduced to zero.

The Security, Privacy, Confidentiality were the risks that are associated with business and IS/IT change. In today's business environment, the reputation of a business, indeed its existence, can be impacted significantly by the strength of the security, privacy and business continuity mechanisms it has in place.

Investing in the proper technology is the key to success. Remember that IS/IT when done right can truly add to your business by adding to productivity and efficiency of the day to day operations and can help you take on more clients and over all help you build your business. For me, it is important to manage risk in a business or organization to protect the mission and assets of the company. Also, a decision is a big part in a company because it may result in inappropriate investments in or poor implementations of new systems.

In summary, success and effective risk management is the basis of successful and effective IT security. Due to the reality of limited resources and nearly unlimited threats, a reasonable decision must be made concerning the allocation of resource to protect systems. Risk management practices allow the organization to protect information and business process commensurate with their value. To ensure the maximum value of risk management, it must be consistent and repeatable. Establishing and utilizing an effective, high quality risk management process and basing the information security activities of the organization on this process will lead to an effective information security program in the organization.

The company that I have visited was the Lane Systems. Lane System is actively promoting IT development in the Philippines and is closely working with government agencies in building solutions for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and encouraging them to automate their business processes. It is exists to provide an ever-increasing level of quality software, consulting, service and responsiveness to the customers for very reasonable costs, while creating a corporate culture that fosters respect, personal growth, responsibility and opportunities for their employees. Moreover, Lane System is also unique in several aspects; among them is the unparalleled ability to examine a business challenge, apply appropriate technology solutions, and effectively articulate the solution to their own teams and the customer from start to finish. They guarantee the customers’ satisfaction as they go the “extra mile” to see that their customers know that they mean business when they say they are committed to them.

That’s why, because of being committed to their job they have also encountered to have some changes/resource policies in their systems and they’ve developed it, in order to have more improvements on their performance so that the customers would also be satisfied and contended with their works and will keep working with them too. However, changing systems is also not easy to do, it is neither very complicated nor very difficult to handle because there’s so many things that you have to consider before systems are built and tested, like the risks of change. And that’s what they had experienced too like controlling the integrity of information systems and resources, including all network devices, computer systems, applications, and databases in their infrastructure. By the way, here are some of the purposes why some organizations plan to change.

The Purpose of Change:

The purpose of organizational transformation and business reengineering was to change radically how the organization behaved. The organizational transformation needs the reappraisal and redesign of business processes to create dramatic organizational performance improvements.

And the desire to make such fundamental changes in organizations is driven by three major aims:

1. The need for an inbuilt capability for detecting and responding to changing circumstances. 2. To obtain economic benefits as a result of streamlined operations and increased customer satisfaction.3. To achieve higher employee benefits which directly benefit the two other aims.

Information is more critical in organizations as change and uncertainty increase. IT is an important enabler and integrator of various different business units within an organization. However, information is not being exploited to its full potential. Therefore, information must be managed strategically and no corporate strategy can be considered complete without taking IT concerns into account.

Moreover, as I have searched, in organizations without a formal information technology (IT) change management process, it is estimated that 80% of IT service outage problems are caused by updates and alterations to systems, applications, and infrastructure. Consequently, one of the first areas to address to improve service reliability is to track all changes and systematically manage change with full knowledge of the risks of the change and the potential organizational impact. Change Management is an essential part of the overall process to ensure the reliable delivery of information technology services. Nevertheless, before implementing the changes, they should also have a risk assessment for them to know the possible risks of change and have some reviews that commensurate with the potential impact of the change.

The Risks of Change:

For determining composite risk assessment that guides the implementation of the change they can have a two standardized evaluations: the organizational criticality of the system to be changed and the likelihood of adverse impact resulting from the change. First, on an annual basis, the criticality of the system is appraised in order to establish its relative value to the enterprise. The standardized criteria for this assessment are:

Number of users that could be impacted by a service interruption Financial impact of an extended service outage or unrecoverable loss of data Likelihood that a system/service failure could result in: Disclosure of sensitive information that needs to be protected Misuse of client-owned resources Malicious interruption of services or research operations Possibility that a system/service failure could result in an event or condition that may have adverse safety, health, security, operational, environmental, or mission implication Potential future impacts based on prior system/service interruption experiences

Secondly, when a change is proposed, each request is graded against the following criteria:

How many users will be visibly affected by the proposed change? What is the anticipated difficulty for user and support personnel to learn the new or modified system/service? What is the stability and supportability of the technology or vendor products utilized by the system? In the event the change implementation fails or adversely impacts other systems or services, what will be the impact of executing the implementation contingency plan? Based upon past experience, what is the likelihood of failure or adverse problems resulting from the change?

Depending on the level of the composite risk, requirements of the release plan such as testing rigor and end-user communications are strengthened to mitigate higher levels of risk. Conversely, a lower risk score results in a reduced scope of change implementation requirements.

Furthermore, there are also four characteristics of a transformed organization, these are:

1. A vision that is shared throughout the business:

Everyone in the organization has the same views of how things in the organization could be. Thus, great emphasis is placed on accurate and detailed communication to develop this perspective.

2. The priority for satisfying customers’ needs:

Giving the customers what they want when they want it is the major priority in any transformed organization.

3. The high priority of satisfying staff needs:

An important aim in a transformed organization is providing employees with benefits they see as positive that contribute to the aims and objectives of the organization.

4. The vital nature of the effective management of change:

In any changing organization, emphasis must be placed on the management of change skills and responsibilities. Resistance to change must be incorporated and time must be allowed for people to adapt to the changes made.

In my research, I have found out that the contribution of IT to organizational transformation was that some organizations found information system and information technology to be crucially important while in other organizations was considerably less important. So therefore, information’s intensity determines the contribution of IT. That information intensity refers to how important information is to the overall organization.

The company started as small office stationery dealer in 1967. By the grace of God and through its continuous quest for quality and better products to serve its clientele. It has gained the confidence and patronage of its clients. The clientele expanded to what it is today, a big solid majority share in the market.The company opened its door to the general public in 1995 by opening up a modest yet modern retail outfit. A supermarket-type of stationery store. The concept was overwhelming accepted by the general public.

The retail outlet and network continue to grow and expand. Today, it is a big business outfit housed in a modern complex with all the convenient facilities and amenities.

The GH OFFICE DEPOT carries in its inventory more than 12,000 items of office items to serve its clients. The company keeps on updating and upgrading its list of items to cope up with the current trend in office management. And to serve its clients with the latest and most up-to-date office supplies and equipments.

Buyers, sellers, and others in the energy business need to understand the risks in this very uncertain environment in order to maintain their responsibility to their stakeholders and to protect their bottom line. Organizations can achieve their goals and objectives in this uncertain business environment by developing a comprehensive risk management program.

Every business is vulnerable to a wide array of risks that may or may not be specific to its particular industry, although only some choose to actively acknowledge and address those risks in an attempt to reduce exposure to them. Since the power industry is an inherently risky one, the focus on risk management will only continue to increase as a response. In our business, risks can be identified in virtually all segments of the power supply industry, not just that risk associated with the price of our power or fuels. These segments and can be divided more simply into the three general categories: 1) supply side; 2) demand side; and 3) business-related.

Effective risk management encourages decision-makers to examine their business process across the board to identify the various risks that can affect it, and to begin thinking about how the exposure to these risks can be best mitigated or minimized.

Market Prices There are aspects of buying or generating power that are always in a state of change. The market prices of fuel and power are good examples of this. The exposure to fuel and power price volatility is the most significant supply-side risk faced by most participants in this market. In the past few years, we have seen tremendous increases in the cost of natural gas, and we’ve seen almost the same in increases in the cost of coal, not to mention the issues of coal transported by rail. The price of fuel is driven by many factors: the balance of supply and demand, industry production capacity, storage levels, market dynamics, as well as others. These factors all contribute to the risk associated with supplying fuel for power plants. Market prices for power are similarly driven by supply and demand, the cost of fuel both today and in the future, and transmission and congestion issues.

LoadManaging the uncertainty of your load is difficult at best, but that does not mean it is impossible. This can be a critical aspect of your business and it is important in helping to achieve your strategic and financial goals.

In order to mitigate the risk of abnormal loads, it is important to try to better understand the forces that can cause high variability. These drivers may include competition, catastrophic events, industrial activity, or technological issues. Some of these areas can be very difficult to predict, making it tougher but not impossible to mitigate such risks in a cost effective manner. Although not always easy, being up to speed in this area is part of risk management planning, including catastrophe plans. You may also be able to exploit the savings from an interruptible product or other demand-side management program where appropriate. For market participants that are subject to weather extremes, there are opportunities available to hedge weather risk through the use of financial hedges that are designed to help protest against this risk.

Financing Every business needs to borrow money at some point in time, especially if you are on the supply side of this business. Regardless of the purpose, you will desire to obtain financing under the most favorable terms and conditions possible. This is often hard to ensure, particularly because of the fluctuation in interest rates and the demands on the market for money. It is impossible to know whether rates will get better or worse in the future, so a balanced, diversified portfolio of borrowing instruments often produces the most favorable results over time. Furthermore, due to the recent uncertainty in the energy industry, lending institutions are becoming more selective of which entities they lend money. Lenders are now performing more rigorous risk analyses on a borrower\'s financial condition to determine the long-term viability of the borrower or project and the ability to meet debt service payments. Equity requirements and debt covenants are also becoming far more stringent than they have been in years past. Basically, they’re doing their own risk management.

Once the decision to obtain financing has been made, it is important to conduct \"what if\" scenarios to study what the impact of unexpected events could have on your business, as well as to understand if your business has the potential for financial distress. Ultimately, maintaining strong financials through proper rate structure and strong liquidity and equity levels are essential to ensuring the availability of low-cost financing for your organization in the future.

Management The makeup of an organization can arguably be the most important factor in successfully operating a business. Integrating and processing all of the various operational inputs from your business to formulate a reliable and cost-effective power supply portfolio is more than a challenge. Human capital and the aging of the experienced work force is a topic much discussed today. By taking a systematic approach to your business operations through better understanding the drivers that cause change in your business, and through the corresponding implementation of a comprehensive risk management strategy, managers can take fundamental actions that can help mitigate more effectively the risks associated with their business and have less exposure to management and people issues. Turn in the human capital can be offset by having a well developed process that can be somewhat immune from having to rely on institutional knowledge of seasoned managers. Additionally, creating management policies and controls that administer and measure your organization\'s performance can be advantageous to the ongoing success of your business.

For me, for GH Depot instead of the risk, they are now upgrading to a new system. From dos to windows vista as what their IT personnel said. Risks will happen if it happens that they will be using manually all their task but as of now, technology is a greater help to a certain company or organization especially GH Depot were they have their own website just like the other company in order for their costumers to get updated in their products. http://ghofficedepot.com/about.htm

Last edited by ♥ilyn_mapalo♥ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:58 pm; edited 3 times in total

On October 10, 1977 the ANFLO Group of Companies was finally registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission as a Corporation. It became the managing company of the various businesses owned by Don Antonio O. Floirendo, Sr. and other company affiliates organized either as new business ventures, spin offs of allied services or expansion of their existing businesses. Today, ANFLOCOR continues to grow and contribute much to the communities around its business locations as it remains true to the pursuit of its vision of national development and economic uplift, founded on social responsibility. The rise of the ANFLO Group business empire started from a vision of one man, Don Antonio O. Floirendo, Sr., or AOF, as he is fondly called by his employees. AOF's business acumen, inspired by his foresight and gut-feel, enabled him to build a business conglomerate which is proudly Mindanao based.

Defining Management Information System

A management information system (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solve business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy. Management information systems are distinct from regular information systems in that they are used to analyze other information systems applied in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and Executive information systems.

It has been describe as, "MIS 'lives' in the space that intersects technology and business. MIS combines tech with business to get people the information they need to do their jobs better/faster/smarter. Information is the lifeblood of all organizations - now more than ever. MIS professionals work as systems analysts, project managers, systems administrators, etc., communicating directly with staff and management across the organization." There are various types of information systems, for example: transaction processing systems, decision support systems, knowledge management systems, database management systems, and office information systems. Critical to most information systems are information technologies, which are typically designed to enable humans to perform tasks for which the human brain is not well suited, such as: handling large amounts of information, performing complex calculations, and controlling many simultaneous processes.

At the start, in businesses and other organizations, internal reporting was made manually and only periodically, as a by-product of the accounting system and with some additional statistics, and gave limited and delayed information on management performance. Since information systems are an applied field, industry practitioners expect information systems research to generate findings that are immediately applicable in practice. However, that is not always the case. Often information systems researchers explore behavioral issues in much more depth than practitioners would expect them to do. This may render information systems research results difficult to understand, and has led to criticism.

In their infancy, business computers were used for the practical business of computing the payroll and keeping track of accounts payable and accounts receivable. As applications were developed that provided managers with information about sales, inventories, and other data that would help in managing the enterprise, the term "MIS" arose to describe these kinds of applications. Today, the term is used broadly in a number of contexts and includes (but is not limited to): decision support systems, resource and people management applications, project management and database retrieval application.

Management Information System on ANFLOCOR

As what I had known ANFLOCOR is such a large corporation which holds a lot of companies under them. Information System is such a big help to there company. As what I had search mostly are Agricultural and Construction companies which is really wide and common in business industries. According to the Management Information System Manager on the said company he stated that management information system plays a big role on there company. It helps them to easily monitor the standing of each company under there premises. It also make there jobs easier on organizing data information regarding every company they hold. This information’s are very important to monitor changes and updates in the companies or organization they are holding. Advantages regarding with there Management Information System (MIS)? Well, according to the MIS manager it is really advantageous for them. He also stated before they use COBOL as there database and later on the system improved. Today, they are using the latest version on visual basic but he did not clearly stated what particular system the company is using. Risk of Management Information System on the Organization According to the manager of ANFLOCOR on MIS there is a lot of risk regarding with the system just like any other things here on our planet, there is no permanent and consistent program. Every system has always a risk counterpart because there is nothing perfect in this world as he stated. In a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modeling describes the business processes supported by information systems. As the process grow it also increases the development of the system and also increases the risk associated with the development and changes.

Last edited by creza_jill on Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:28 pm; edited 3 times in total

Our second assignment in Management Information System (MIS) is to find organization and discuss some of their best practices in IS/IT. First thing I do is to find a company that has an MIS department and give the company profile of that company. After that we need submit to our facilitator Sir Gamboa for approval. Then if the company is approved we need to write a letter to the company we choose and submit it to the company. We work as a group but our learning’s is individual. The company we choose is EMCOR (Engineering Machinery Corporation).

Company’s Background

EMCOR Davao (Engineering Machinery Corporation) was started in the year 195years ago and currently under the JVR Foundation Inc.—one of the many companies of the JVR Group of Companies. EMCOR was 48 years in Davao City as Engineering and Machinery Corp., a franchise dealer of International Harvester, by pioneering entrepreneur Jesus V. del Rosario , who set up Kawasaki Motors (Phils.) Corp., K-Servico Trade, Inc., International Writing Systems Phils. Corp., International Elevator and Equipment, Inc., JVR Foundation and local units of Panasonic Group of Companies.

This company is a 100% Filipino-owned retail business corporation specializing in appliances, furniture, IT products, motorcycles, and money transfer through its network of specialty chain stores in the Visayas, Mindanao, and Palawan areas. With the launching of our online store, EMCOR will now be making its presence known in the online industry and promote its company’s goals and vision to the global community. It registered a 26.4 percent increase in revenues over the previous year, raising its ranking of No. 235 in 2004. Emcor employs more than 2,000 people.

The EMCOR carry a wide array of product lines like Panasonic, JVC, Philips, Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Electrolux, La Germania, Whirlpool, FS Furniture, Sanyo, Canon, Brother, Epson, Toshiba, Acer, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki and many others. We have also partnered with Western Union for our money transfer services. The core of our existence is our ability to provide high quality service to our customers by providing the right products at the right time, in the right place and at the right price. They also believe that as responsible members of our society, they should pursue our profit objectives in the spirit of service to the community. They believe in reconciling the profit motive of our Company with service to the nation. Thus, EMCOR strive to maintain a balance between the interests of our customers, employees, shareholders and the government by supporting national and local agenda for economic development, social reform, educational/scientific research, healthcare and environmental sanitation and preservation. To date, the JVR Foundation has given more than PhP200 Million in philanthropic work. http://emcor.com.ph/about.phpEMCOR Davao has its section in MIS Department. These are the following:

Help Desk. The responsibility of help desk is to answer queries in case there are problem. They are also responsible to check the transaction of customer in the company and generate errors.Research Developers. Investigation into new or improved products: in business and industry, the work of investigating improved processes, products, and services and of developing new ones.Technical. They are the one who will repair some computer hardware e.g. printers, centralize processing unit (cpu), keyboard, etc. and software e.g. programs in the computers. If there are failures of the connection they are the one who will fix it.Admin Section. They are in-charge of the data and maintain the data and access the data and provide back-up of data.

All this section in the MIS Department helps the company if there are changes and problem the company will encounter along the way.

Best Practices in IS/IT

Security of the data. EMCOR ensure that there data is secure. They give assurance that their data provides a sense of protection against loss, attack, or harm and precautions taken to keep somebody or something safe from crime, attack, or danger.

Daily Backup. There database provides a copy of computer data that is stored, e.g. a copy stored on a floppy disk, compact disk or any writable materials. In case of brownout, the company has supported data.

Kept the Data Controlled. Kept the data in check and not expressed fully or at all.The Risk of IT/IS Changes

The company is using an In-house Develop System. It is an In-house Develop System because the company implements and designs there own system. In the development stage the company uses a Visual FoxPro as their front end and SQL 6.5, SQL 7.0 and turns to SQL 2000 which the company currently using. They use it for management monitoring system through this the company can know the transaction in any store aside from two stores in Mangagoy because of the problem in internet connection. The two stores in Mangagoy have their own database and they have to submit it to the main branch for evaluation if that branch is improving or not. The database will automatically update every five minutes by the access of the internet. The maintenance of the database is through their programmer and system analyst. They also develop some feature in their database to make it easy and more precise to the users. The advantages of the database they are using are it is fast, more accurate and cost. The company saves money and time. Aside from the advantages there are also disadvantages in the database they use. If the personnel is no enough training and knowledge about the system he is currently using. The company is not ready for the Disaster Recovery System. The company suffers system failure that affects all transaction currently in progress but do not physically damage the database.

Therefore, the development and management of information technology tools assists executives and the general workforce in performing any tasks related to the processing of information. Managing ones system is indeed a hard thing to do. Management Information System (MIS) and business systems are especially useful in the collation of business data and the production of reports to be used as tools for decision making.[/b]

The evidences and pictures of our interview are on my blog site. http://jevaldez.blogspot.com/2009/07/mis-assignment-2.html

Last edited by Joseph Ethel Valdez on Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:55 pm; edited 5 times in total

Based on the organizations that I have visited, which are Columbia Computer Center, located in Claveria and GH Office Depot, located at Monteverde Street, Uyanguren, both have said that there will be a great change if there would be a business and IS/IT change in their company, and that change is a negative one.

Let’s talk about Columbia Computer Center first.

In Columbia, they use biometric scanning when they log in and when they log out from work. This way of checking their attendance determines their employee record, their absences, the times they were late, and also their payroll. If they changed how they do this, and went back to the style of the DTR and bundy clock, then their employee records would easily be subject to “doctoring”, that is, they could manipulate their records in a way that would become an advantage to them.

In the accounting aspect of Columbia, they use a kind of software called MYOB, which handles all aspects of accounting and inventory tracking of their company. This software they say greatly helps them in that kind of field. If this would be changed back to manual inventory keeping and accounting, they said that it would be very tedious for them to do their jobs, because it would be handled one step at a time.

And also to keep track of the activities in their other branches, they utilize the Internet and monitor the goings-on there by Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras. If this kind of technology were not available, then the monitoring of their other branches would be very hard to do, because all they could is to have faith on the people there and to call and check if everything is fine.

Surely, we can realize what would happen if there was a business and IS/IT change there. Next, let’s look at GH Office Depot.

GH Office Depot has their main store in Monteverde Ave., and they have two “bodegas”, which I am not sure where. So all of the possible business and IT/IS change that could happen can only revolve around these places.

In GH, their head IT Staff says that it would be a great loss for the company if an IS/IT and business change would happen. Just like in their communication process. Keeping in contact with their warehouses is very important for GH Office Depot, mainly because their company is primarily associated with the selling of different things; from school and office supplies to exercise equipment to furniture. That’s why they have what they call a Point to Point antenna from their main store to their warehouses. And also their warehouses have a local network to keep them connected.

And commonly to stores, they have barcode scanners for their products. But it can’t only be found in the counter, they also have a barcode machined for the convenience of their customers, just like in supermarkets in malls. But it has a dual function. If it can’t read the barcode of the product, it has a keyboard which you can use to input the barcode number, and get the price of the product. If this was not there, then the effect it would have would be on the customer’s satisfaction.

Every floor in GH (it has 3 floors) also have Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in them, which are used for security. If there would be no security cameras like these, then it would be a very crucial change in their business, because there GH would be vulnerable to shoplifting and robbing.

Both companies/organizations we have visited have said the same thing about having business and IS/IT change in their respective companies. There are many things that could happen;

1. Like if they did not have an Internet connection. If they did not decide to establish an Internet connection, then it would be very hard for them to establish communication with their other branches, and important files and soft copies of documents could not be delivered immediately.

2. There would be slow performance, because if they changed their way of doing business which includes IS/IS related matters (which also makes their work easy, fast and efficient), then they would go back to manual accounting, manual logging in and logging out, and other manual stuff.

3. There would be a loss of profit. This loss of profit depends on the situation, like if they still used manual file keeping and storage. They would continuously buy the things they need for it, not like if you have computers that would take care of that task. You could put your files into CD’s, and keep them for safe-keeping, thus reducing the space and extra needed for bulky storage cabinets, and minimizing the area needed for the storage. Plus the computers that you use for it could do many tasks, like inventory of your system, accounting, keeping track of employee information, payroll, and other tasks, so there is no harm in investing money in computers because the money that will be used for the next years will be less.

Many things could happen if a business and IS/IT change would happen, whether it would be a bad change, or a good change. It just depends on the company if they want this change or not. Usually, the change that they would want to happen will be for the best of the company/organization, so it really just depends on the management of the company/organization. But more importantly, they the company has to conduct first a study or a simulation of what they want to happen, so as to have a better perspective if this change that they will be doing will greatly affect the status of their company. All in all, it just depends on the management. But for me, I would prefer that the company attach to the IT/IS related practices that they have, because these practices will be better for them, and the people in the IT/IS field are always trying to develop new ways to improve the management and maintenance of companies not just here, but around the world.

On July 6, 2009, I with my fellow classmates we're scheduled for an interview about the best practices in Management Information System (MIS ) in Emcor Company, loacted at Jp Laurel, Bajada, Davao City. This is one of the assignment in our Management Information System (MIS ) under Dr. Randy S. Gamboa. We need to identify a local organization(s) or company and discuss some of their best practices in Management Information System (MIS ) and the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?I chose the Emcor as my company to interview regarding their Management Information System (MIS ). First I will give a brief introduction about the company which I adopt.

EMCOR

EMCOR is a 100% Filipino-owned retail business corporation specializing in appliances, furniture, IT products, motorcycles, and money transfer through its network of specialty chain stores in the Visayas, Mindanao, and Palawan areas. With the launching of our online store, EMCOR will now be making its presence known in the online industry and promote its company’s goals and vision to the global community.

EMCOR was founded by JESUS V. del ROSARIO in 1958 and we are currently under the JVR Foundation Inc.—one of the many companies of the JVR Group of Companies. Others include:

We carry a wide array of product lines like Panasonic, JVC, Philips, Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Electrolux, La Germania, Whirlpool, FS Furniture, Sanyo, Canon, Brother, Epson, Toshiba, Acer, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki and many others. We have also partnered with Western Union for our money transfer services. The core of our existence is our ability to provide high quality service to our customers by providing the right products at the right time, in the right place and at the right price.

We believe that as responsible members of our society, we at EMCOR should pursue our profit objectives in the spirit of service to the community. We believe in reconciling the profit motive of our Company with service to the nation. Thus, we strive to maintain a balance between the interests of our customers, employees, shareholders and the government by supporting national and local agenda for economic development, social reform, educational/scientific research, healthcare and environmental sanitation and preservation. To date, the JVR Foundation has given more than PhP200 Million in philanthropic work.

SERVICES:

1.) Motorcycle Repair

2.) Airconditioning Cleaning

3.) Appliance Repair

4.) Customer Inquiries

Source: http://www.emcor.com.ph/about.php

We formulated some questions regarding the Management Information System (MIS ) of their company. Mr. Nilo Ricafort was one who entertain us. He is the MIS/EDP Manager of the Management Information System (MIS ) department of the company. He was trained in Digital Interface about programming. He is also the first user of the computer in their company. The company Management Information System (MIS ) department has many personnel. These are some questions we had asked:

1.) What are the best practices in Management Information System (MIS) in their company?

The company have a security of their data or a Back-up for them to have a copy if there's a failure in their database system. They have programmers and system analyst who control the server of their database system.

2.) What are the advantages of their Management Information System (MIS) in the company?

In terms of transfering of data to the other network. They are fast and accurate of transfering the data. And if suddenly they have a failure in their server or the server shutdown they have a Disaster Recovery Position who recover the system.

3.) What are the disadvantages?

The Management Information System (MIS) Manager told us that they have a Disaster Recovery Position but they have no Disaster Recovery Site. The company looking forward for this plan to have a Recovery Site. Until now, the company system is not centralize. One disadvantage also is the incorrect data uploading.4.) Do you think, you won't come this far without this Management Information System (MIS)?

Having an Management Information System (MIS) deaprtment is important to their company. It has a big help in the comapny in terms of computerization and technology. Mr. Nilo said that their system is manual without a computer. So that having a computer to their company is fast and accurate in the system.

This interview was a very informative to us because it gives us basic knowledge in Management Information System (MIS). It was a very great experienced to meet a person who shared there knowledge in the students like us about their companies best practices in Management Information System (MIS). Supposed to be the person we are looking is the Management Information System (MIS) Assistant Manager in their department but the Management Information System (MIS) Manager of the department entertain us that's why we're very thankful and honored because the person we interviewed was the manager. He is nice, friendly and professional.

Visit my blog: www.minenor.blogspot.com

Last edited by Norena T. Nicdao on Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:58 am; edited 2 times in total

EMCOR started its service along 1985. On 1987, they only have one computer. Mr. Ricafort was trained about it. They contracted with the digital interface. They hired programmers, etc

2.) How does the company’s system developed?

The system was developed along 1998 and 1999 in the preparation of the problem met in 2000. The Y2K problem means on how to input the years 2000 and the succeeding ones.

Along 1998, EMCOR is already internet connected. However, their system is not yet online and decentralized but they are planning to materialize the centralized on. In a centralized system, one branch can view the business transaction of the other. The customer can also pay their account in the other branches without the tedious process and hassles in part of the accounting personnel. He also said that the number of stores is equivalent to the number of databases

3.) What is the company’s approach in Systems building?

The company is developing its system in in-hours or source out.MIS Department consists of help desk, research and development and the technical. Help desk answers queries, checks transactions, etc. Research and development is responsible for the systems development. Technical is for the hardware failures.

4.) How is it maintained?

There are maintained by their programmers and systems analyst through users, manger’s approval, reports, encoding and debugging processes and others

He mentioned about the SAP program. It’s a ready-made program that is installed and only developed by the company. He added that they are the ones responsible for its maintenance but the outsiders are for its improvement. He also talked about their data center; which is powered by the IBM.

In Mindanao, EMCOR branches and stores are connected via internet except Tandag and the other one. However, the two have their own servers and back- up systems.

What are the risks in IT/IS change?

The risks to be considered are the possible data loss, disaster and back down, preparation on the errors of the system, the establishment of the accuracy, and the users acceptance on the system. Also some of the difficulties at risk are the possible discrepancies, training time and etc.

References:http://emcor.com.ph/about.php[/justify]

Photos:

Last edited by Shiela Marie P. Nara on Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

This talks about our second assignment on Management Information System.

We are about to visit a company and conduct some interview regarding our subject Management Information System with connection to the one we interviewed, the IS Manager. The first step I did is to look for a company that would fit for the information that our group would share to my fellow classmates. But how could I conduct an interview without a letter, and the letter must be first approved by your Facilitator, Dean, and the OSS director. If we’d come to think of it again, we could definitely state that it's not an easy task because doing it is really hard. Manager might not accept the said proposal because there is a possibility that the IS Manager think that it is one of strategy for us to have our coppied system from them. The trust of the company regarding their system to be given to us, as a student, would be really hard for them, that why we really have to pass/ submit an evidence that will prove that we were approved by the school. But what’s hard in doing this task is the time you’ve done asking permission of approval for the chosen company and as the time you’ll visit the company, you’ll be rejected. Upon accepting the fact of rejection, since some other company let some of their information be confidential, we need to submit another company proposal for another approval for us to conduct another interview on the other company. Well, just on this part, we could definitely say that it’s really hard.

Talking about the experiences we’ve got, same as what we did from the other subject (HRM), we propossed a company named TEFASCO. We went there but one of their staff told us that we could only conduct an interview if we were approved by their company, one of their respected employee told us that they don't have a steady programmer and no can probably support us on our interview because what their company is doing is that they just call a programmer from outside the country for them to have one. Another thing is that, their President is currently out of the country, the big possibility is that we can’t have the information for the said subject in the said time if we’ll going to wait for their president. And so our next option is to visit any company just near our residences and ask if we could conduct an interview before making a proposal to assure thatwe could really make an interview.

Yes, we indeed visit companies and ask about our tasks. What we got is that we have conducted an interview but the company hasn’t enough information since their main company is in Manila. Our last option is to travel Tagum knowing that there’s a big opportunity that we could conduct an interview. And as what have we planned, we first submit a company proposal that might be locate at Tagum City. Fortunately, our facilitator approved it and we prepared ourselves for the trip.

Talking about the company, we have chosen JS Gaisano as our company to be interviewed. Luckily as we went there, we were entertained and supported our list of questions.JS Gaisano, located at Quirante Dos, Tagum City is the company we have chosen for us to make our group sharing as well as our individual assignment.

Question: Based on the organization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?

On our first assignment about the best practices of IS/IT of an organizations, we made an interview with the MIS internal programmer of Dole Philippines. We discussed on the information systems matters and discussed things on how do they made an approach to perform their role as programmers in their company. According to the MIS programmer they do have protocols in every step or decisions they are doing.

In general, Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modelling describes the business processes supported by information systems.

In Dole they have been using much application software in different departments, and they are only integrated with one system to connect the data needed by the operation of the departments.

If there are changes to be made, protocols are imposed to properly set the changes. These includes planning, determine the project and etc. Changes will involve Strategic plans and further development needed for the system. Changes might be necessary if user (departments) from the company demands for something more appropriate for the business or the business itself have changes.

The question is what are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?

Before we answer the question lets first analyze what are those changes? Why? And when the changes will take place?

For me there are a lot of possible risks associated with these changes. One of the risks is the failure. According to the sayings “practice makes perfect” and “try and try until you succeed” these means that in a real situation failure is part of growth. Failure teaches us to become better. But failure with regards to the changes in business is a serious mistake a threat to the company. Changes can mean everything, thus it can lead to success or sometimes it can lead to failure. One of the failures that can be associated is the system failure. If the system change fails, it can affect the operation of the company. Why? System is the brain of the company. It keeps information needed by the company. So if the system fails in any way. Operations are affected especially if this system is designed to be used by all the departments like manufacturing, logistics, and etc. Users cannot proceed on their mandates for they cannot access the system and what happens if they cannot access the system operations are delayed and this will consume the company’s time to trace the problem, another cost, and the worst is damage to the data records. Another scenario is sometimes system looks working well but actually giving the users wrong data which in other way can lose the reliability of the data records then operation is still affected. Using healthy system applications can help improve the business cycle.

Another thing to be considered is the hardware and software issue. When you buy a personal computer you must consider the specification of your choice. Your choice might include the software capability of the hardware. It is the same in changing the system, will the new system can be used to the current hardware you are using or the software needs new and more appropriated hardware. These might be one of the issue to be discussed first especially when outsourced software is concerned. Sometimes new system is too large for the current hardware and this might not run or the system hangs during the operation. If the system does not meet the specification of the existing hardware in your organization then that is another risk the company is wasting money for it and the existing hardware will be replaced and the time is consumed in replacing the hardware just to meet the specification of the software. According to the MIS programmer of Dole Philippines, “when you change a system you must first know the issues of what is to change or if change is really needed before continuing with the change”.

Another risk when changing the system is the users. Sometimes users will find it difficult to understand the new system implemented. Not all implementation of new system is successful; some might require the users to practice the system and training is expected. Another cost is the risk because it needs the users to be trained and able to understand the system regarding how to use the front end, the security, and the etc. Again this risk is consuming the time of the company.

Security is also one of the issues in developing a system for the business operations. There might a risk in data security when the new system fails to give protection to the data records of the company. And this risk will invoke other parties interested to hack the system thus the privacy of the company is compromised. A system must have enough security features to help protect the data records against viruses, illegal intrusions, and illegal modifications. In this way the benefit of having a strong system will help the company’s operation more accurate and fast.

When changing the system it is the same in developing a new system; it should be precise. Another risk that I see here is the system might lack features needed for the operation. System with lacking features might affect the other existing system in the organization. So again, before implementing the software it should be tested before using it, programmers must ensure the quality of the system. Testing is very important in most aspects in programming especially when we ask the question: is the system is a user friendly? Is the system easy to navigate? And etc... In this way the programmers will know the capability of the system. Testing can help eliminate errors and other bugs that may occur during the operation. So before deploying the system they see to it that the system is ready for deployment. In other way testing can identify the weaknesses of the system, and help the programmers identify some revisions of their system and this saves time. Without testing faulty system can affect the operation of the company thus aside from expenses it can affect the performance of the whole organization.

EMCOR is a 100% Filipino-owned retail Business Corporation specializing in appliances, furniture, IT products, motorcycles, and money transfer through its network of specialty chain stores in the Visayas, Mindanao, and Palawan areas. With the launching of our online store, EMCOR will now be making its presence known in the online industry and promote its company’s goals and vision to the global community.

What are the Risks associated with Business and IT/IS change at EMCOR? This is the question for the second assignment that we have to relate in our first one for us to give an answer. Anyway, we have thrown a lot of question during our interview with the EMCOR’s MIS/EDP head. And to recall, here are the few facts that we have gathered during the meeting:

Below are the formulated questions regarding the Management Information System (MIS) of the company’s MIS/EDP that was entertained by the personnel manager himself. He was trained in Digital Interface about programming during his early years in the company and was the first user of the computer in their company.

1.) What are the best practices in Management Information System (MIS) in their company?

According to the interviewee, it is hard to point out if what are the best practices that their department has done to attain their goals but he tries to consider some of their practices that he believes would be best. Like those having back-ups of data in case of unexpected disaster that they might encounter. They have a data security that secures all the data. And also having enough programmers and system analyst who are responsible to control, update, and checked whatever errors that might occurs. They have a Disaster Recovery Procedure that will immediately recover the data in any case that the server might have encounter problems.

Security of the data. EMCOR ensure that there data is secure. They give assurance that their data provides a sense of protection against loss, attack, or harm and precautions taken to keep somebody or something safe from crime, attack, or danger.

Daily Backup. There database provides a copy of computer data that is stored, e.g. a copy stored on a floppy disk, compact disk or any writable materials. In case of shutdown, the company has supported data.

Kept the Data Controlled. Kept the data in check and not expressed fully or at all.

2.) What are the advantages of their Management Information System (MIS) in the company?

Since the company has been using VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections, there is an accurate and fast transferring of data from one store to another and also, since it is private, it is not prone to hacking and stealing of important data. Also it reduces cost and it saves time since transactions will happened too fast than usual.

3.) What are the disadvantages?

One disadvantage is the incorrect data uploading and this would happen usually in system migration. Anyway it’s not really a big problem since they are looking for solutions to possible errors.

4.) Do you think, you won't come this far without this Management Information System (MIS)?

The interviewee says that even without technology, MIS would still exist though not as easy and reliable as of this time. There would still be an MIS, maybe dealing with manual system. But having the opportunity to take advantage of the fast growing technology, MIS also evolves into a more accurate and fast applications that helps the MIS department to achieve its goals with the use of high level techniques and implementations.

5.) How and when did the MIS implemented?

EMCOR started its service along 1985. During the year 1987, they were using only one computer to process transactions. (word star and lotus) until they had a contract with Digital Interface where the interviewee was trained. It started then that they hired programmers and system analyst to support their new way of system.

6.)How does the company’s system developed?

The system was developed along 1997 and 1999 in the preparation of the problem met in 2000. The Y2K problem means on how to input the years 2000 and the succeeding ones.

Along 1998, EMCOR is already internet connected. However, their system is not yet online and decentralized but they are planning to materialize the centralized. In a centralized system, one branch can view the business transaction of the other. The customer can also pay their account in the other branches without the tedious process and hassles in part of the accounting personnel. He also mentioned that each stores has its own databases.

7.) What is the company’s approach in Systems building?

The company is developing its system in house or source out. They were also practicing to develop their own system or trying to improve the existing one. And also considering source out and ready made programs.

MIS Department consists of help desk, research and development and the technical. Help desk answers queries, checks transactions, etc. Research and development is responsible for the systems development. Technical is for the hardware failures.

8.) How is it maintained?

It is maintained by their programmers and systems analyst through users, manager’s approval, reports, encoding and debugging processes and others.

In Mindanao, EMCOR branches and stores are connected via internet except Tandag and Ilungos somewhere in Leyte. However, the two have their own servers and reports would be sent through hard disk.

What are the risks in IT/IS change?

The risks to be considered are the possible data loss, disaster and back down, preparation on the errors of the system, the establishment of the accuracy, and the users acceptance on the system. Also some of the difficulties at risk are the possible discrepancies, training time and etc.

To give a technical background, EMCOR started to use a manual operation in the early years. It was during the year 1997 that the systems was started to develop. Before the year 2000 took its final fold, they were able to implement the Clipper 87 software for the receivables and inventory. It was then that they realized that the problem on the coming of Y2K could affect their system. Later, they were able to migrate another system with the FoxPRo as their front-end and SQL as their back-end. They’re using MS Windows environment. Hopefully, the long-planned migration to another system would be realized by the end of this year or earlier. It will be a SAP package (I forgot to ask what does it stands for) that includes Sales and Collection Monitoring System that will have to centralize their database in order to render best services to their clientele. Also, they are planning to establish a disaster recovery site that would deal all the transactions taken in case of unintentional shutdown and data loss.

References:http://emcor.com.ph/about.php[/justify]

please do visit my BLOG: http://www.sharlynjoypines.blogspot.com

Last edited by sharlyn joy pines on Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:32 pm; edited 6 times in total

The New City Commercial Corporation is one of the leading company in Mindanao as well as the whole Philippines. NCCC is Considered one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of groceries and other goods in Davao and owner of the humongous NCCC Mall of Davao. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 they continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people. They strive to offer Service from the Heart first of all to their associates. They also maintain solid relationships with their business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise. June 4, 2009 – Saturday. We were scheduled to interview Engr. Irvin Rhey Miclat, the Supervisor of Hardware, Software and Networking services of New City Commercial Corporation located in Gempesaw St., Uyanguren. We interviewed Engr. Miclat in the NCCC Mall food court together with his loving wife. We asked him questions regarding our topic given to us by our instructor. He shared some ideas and gave us enough information about our questions. These information were enough to comply the tasks given to us.

These are the information that we have gathered from Engr. Miclat:

ICT Department of NCCC:

Information and Communications Technology Department or the ICT department of NCCC aims to be updated and interactive in terms of technology progress so that the company will be competitive enough and be able to be informed of the outgoing rise and development of technology industry. They are the one who handles the IT/IS of the New City Commercial Corp. and they are the one who are behind of the outgoing success of the company in terms of Information, Communication Technology. No wonder, NCCC is still competitive in terms of their technology.

Under the ICT department are:Application Group, Hardware Software and Networking Services Group (which is headed by Engr. Miclat) and Operations Group.

• Applications Group – which is headed by a manager, In charge with Systems Development, Applications development & support.

• OPERATIONS GROUP – which is headed by a supervisorAssigned in MMS (Merchandise Management System ) : is an automated information system to keep track of the inventory in a warehouse or store. Usually the merchandise can be grouped into product lines. Thus, the MMS shows the exact number of products a business has in stock at any particular time.an active role in the benchmarking, cost benefit and risk analyzes and definition of service needs.

Best Practices in IT/IS:

As what we’ve learned from the New City Commercial Corporation’s best practices in IT/ IS the Information and Communications Technology Department or ICT conducts or gives proper documentation to the management in every system or procedures that they normally do.

• operating Point of sale or point of service (POS or PoS) can mean a retail shop, a checkout counter in a shop, or the location where a transaction occurs.• before the usage of POS by the end-users, there will be standard using operation done to ensure complete details and accurate information.• in every changes and decisions done by the said department in terms of changing or switching to old system to new one, a business case or case study, and cost analysis must first take place and be conducted and of course this includes proper documentation.•avoiding malpractice in recording issues(When the company provides extremely poor/good products or service.) in the company through proper documentation.

The Risks that are associated with business and IS/IT change:

The probable risks or challenges that their department might encounter are the changes or switching of their system and their security. As technology arises, the company must adopt to the fast changing environment in order for the company to be competitive and updated.

OPERATING SYSTEMS - is an interface between hardware and user; an OS is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. Cooperative memory management, used by many early operating systems assumes that all programs make voluntary use of the kernel's memory manager, and do not exceed their allocated memory. This system of memory management is almost never seen anymore, since programs often contain bugs which can cause them to exceed their allocated memory. If a program fails it may cause memory used by one or more other programs to be affected or overwritten. Malicious programs, or viruses may purposefully alter another program's memory or may affect the operation of the operating system itself. With cooperative memory management it takes only one misbehaved program to crash the system. If the Operating System will not be upgraded, risks like less security would occur and its vulnerability issues. These issues are hone to be used by the hacker to crack system and probably destroy the system. Therefore, they will be forced to upgrade in order to support the IT needs of their system.

Security (FIREWALL → UTM DEVICE)

FIREWALL - is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications.UTM DEVICE - good UTM device offers battle-tested technology. Many times vendors build a UTM device around one all-star feature, sacrificing the quality of others for an overwhelming breadth of defense.In order for the company to secure their system and their necessary data, they should upgrade their security to the newer one. With this, they may be able to conduct their business safely. But prior to this changes, the ICT department must conduct a business study or a case to study to analyze the difference of each security and to consider also its cost.

References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/http://www.nccc.com.ph/

my blog http://fujiwarayumi.blogspot.com/

Last edited by Jezreel Jyl P. Hilado on Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:00 pm; edited 3 times in total

- are all about people: Our associates, our customers, our business partners and our community. Since starting out as a textile store in 1952 we continue to grow, expanding to different retail businesses and locations to serve more people.

We strive to offer Service from the Heart first of all to our associates. We also maintain solid relationships with our business partners to provide a wide assortment of basic and unique merchandise that offers

We are proud of our journey and we continue to pay tribute to our founders and history by living up to our core values of humility, caring, hard work, excellence and fun. We live for our vision to be A Leader Who Cares. http://www.nccc.com.ph/index/about/

Based on the orgnaization(s) that you visited, what do you think are the risks associated with business and IS/IT change?

NCCC is one of the companies in regard of merchandising /retailing and having service to the Pilipino people .They showcase the need of the people ,they provides jobs and render service in the community.

NCCCstarts only from one commercialize center that works manually for their documentation until they become a corporation that adopt the IT /IS change for the better management and improvement of their services and be a competitor.

They have associates many department that enables outgoing services to people and plan for the development of the company as the ICT department . These department has 3 groups which are the following:

Application Group-they are the one responsible for Systems Development, Applications development & support, Lead programming and database administration

Hardware Network /Security Group-they are the one responsible for the security ,maintenance of their network and even software.

Operation Group-they are the one responsible for controlling the price of every product in each retailers. - inventory in a warehouse or store -cost benefit and risk analyses and definition of service needs.

At exactly 3:30 pm last July 04,2009 we have interviewed the supervisor of Hardware Network /Security Group Engr. Irvin Miclat since the ICT director is on business transaction outside the city.

As we interviewed him he clarified that they don’t treat IT/IS change is a risk but a “challenge” to their company. He shared to us that every time IS/IT change before you adopt that changes they should have a business plan where they analyze the cause and effect possibilities in decision making.

When there is IT/IS change their company they planned of adopting for enhancement of the services of the company .He site an example that the company had experienced.

For the past years they don’t maintain the product price so the retailer can manipulate price for their customer .They could corrupt their client and even cheat in their salary invoice. In short, they is no systematic pricing .For them to comply their needs they adopt the MMS (Merchandise Management System) where the can handleThe following:

They planned for the possibilities which could enhance the improvement of the company .Infact thay planned of online purchasing. But they have also site a issues that such as a connectivity problem. NCCC is on the way for developing there IS/IT for the better services

The possible risk of IT /IS changes are the following:• Budget• Training • Compatibilities issues • Company issues

Operating System:• They use open source software such Open office• They do not limit an OS • Open to use other possible OS as long as it has advantage in the business.• They are standardized• If old OS support ends they planned possibility of transferring into upgrade one.

Security• They use UFM for the defense of unnecessary virus• Possible of adopting other upgrade firewall in maintenance the security

The adoption of information technology (IT) in organizations has been growing at a rapid pace. The use of the technology has evolved from the automation of structured processes to systems that are truly revolutionary in that they introduce change into fundamental business procedures. Indeed, it is believed that "More than being helped by computers, companies will live by them, shaping strategy and structure to fit new information technology [25]." While the importance of the relationship between information technology and organizational change is evidenced by the considerable literature on the subject, 1 there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of these issues from the economic perspective. The aim of this article is to develop an economic understanding of how information systems affect some key measures of organization structurehttp://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=20061190159072CI&q=information technology and Information system change&uid=787412752&setcookie=yes

Managing risk during information technology change

With new technology as one of the key drivers to maintaining competitive advantage and sustained success in the insurance sector, change is one of the few constants within the sector. Any change, especially fast-paced change creates risk – on a technical as well as operational level. Risk that needs to be recognised, evaluated and managed if insurance organisations and their customers are to benefit, rather than suffer, from change, says Chris Thornton, director of Finance Sector Business Development at ITNET, an information technology, business consulting and business process outsourcing company.

For our second assignment, I and my colleagues visited LDS-ERS (Latter-Day Saints Employment Resource Services) to ask about the risks associated with business and IT/IS change, since we were declined by Globe Telecommunications. LDS-ERS is located at the 8th floor of LandCo Pacific building.

About the Company visited- LDS Employment Resource Services:

The LDS Employment Resource Service (ERS) is non-profit service supported by The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has been in existence for over (10) years now in the Philippines. Thousands of job seekers and hundreds of companies have benefited from free services of the ERS worldwide. ERS centers currently exist in more than a dozen different countries, with over 200 offices worldwide. These countries include the United States of America, Chile, Peru, Hong Kong and Brazil, among others. The main purpose of the ERS is to help the people, where there are operating Centers, search for local employment, education and business opportunities and resources. In Philippines, there are presently four (5) operating centers, namely, Makati, Tarlac, Bacolod, Davao and Cebu.

The center provides free services for employees which includes free advertisements of manpower requirements, entry level to officer level positions, or other opportunities in an organization, free access to their website to post the manpower requirements and look at other resource compiled by the center and a free use of their facilities to conduct interviews or recruitment events such as job fairs. They also offer free services for job-seekers such as access to their facilities such as computers, Internet, facsimile machine and telephones. They also have a training center where weekly career workshops are held in the center for clients. The center also has a Resource Center where job-seekers can access to library of resources on employment, scholarships, business ideas and resources. A referral service also is provided where their clients are referred to appropriate institutions or companies based on their career needs.The visit:

Let me first give a definition of what a Information System is. According to Wikipedia, in a general sense, the term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes. In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization. Computer-based information systems are in the field of information technology. The discipline of business process modelling describes the business processes supported by information systems. Risk reflects the potential, the likelihood, or the expectation of events that could adversely affect earnings or capital. Management uses MIS to help in the assessment of risk within an institution. Management decisions based upon ineffective, inaccurate, or incomplete MIS may increase risk in a number of areas such as credit quality, liquidity, market/pricing, interest rate, or foreign currency. A flawed MIS causes operational risks and can adversely affect an organization's monitoring of its fiduciary, consumer, fair lending or other compliance-related activities.Since management requires information to assess and monitor performance at all levels of the organization, MIS risk can extend to all levels of the operations. Additionally, poorly programmed or non-secure systems in which data can be manipulated and/or systems requiring ongoing repairs can easily disrupt routine work flow and can lead to incorrect decisions or impaired planning.

During our interview at LDS, we asked them about what are advantages and disadvantages IT/IS does to their company. They told us that the biggest advantage of having an IT/IS to their company is the fact that it allows them maintain information of their clients as well as for the job-seekers that they handle. Through IT/IS also, they are able to keep track of their expenses, they are able to have the real time recording of expenses. Also, with IT/IS in their company, they are able to share knowledge and information easily. But, there is also a disadvantage. It’s the fact that because of IT, they are being dependent on Internet and the systems becomes down all those files saved will vanish if there would be no backup initiated.

In LDS, in order for them to facilitate the job matching process, the center maintains a computerized database of applicants and employers. This system allows the center to generate a list of qualified applicants for a given job vacancy, given the requirements of a prospective employer. Applicants are then informed of the employer’s requirements for them to assess if they qualify. According to the Area Manager of LDS-ERS, the only risk associated by having this kind of system is when there is LOSS of data. With this risk, they cannot keep in touch with their clients. While the potential for loss is the centerpiece of risk, they have broadened the scope of their risk definitions to including the loss itself. With LDS, their IT structure already provides them with necessary benefits, with changes there would be negative and positive impact on their part.

Last edited by kate karen rasonable on Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:02 pm; edited 2 times in total